Australian Business Training - Case Studies - The Manager as Coach - Produced increased employee engagement and productivity

Home

About Us

Emotional Intelligence

Learned Optimism

Positive Psychology

Training Programs

Keynote Presentations

Introduction
Attitude & Action for Achievement
Business Breakthroughs
The Psychology of Client Decision Making
The Manager as Coach
The Art & Science of Selling
Leading with Emotional Intelligence
Attitude & Action for Leadership Achievement

line

The Manager as Coach
Produced increased employee engagement and productivity

PaperPlus * is a national supplier of stationery products to retailers throughout Australia. PaperPlus approached ABT to help its leaders develop their management styles. ABT showed PaperPlus' managers how to coach employees, leading to increased commitment and motivation from staff.

Challenge

PaperPlus wanted its managers to be more effective in dealing with their teams. Rather than just delegating work, they wanted managers to be able to motivate and engage employees. With more effective management, PaperPlus' employees would be able to achieve more and stay in their jobs longer. It would also give managers increased confidence in dealing with different people and challenges.

Solution

ABT consultants and PaperPlus' senior management identified the need for managers to change their style, acting as coaches rather than bosses.

Coaching is a distinct way of communicating. It leads to increased employee commitment, enabling people to achieve more than they would under other management styles. It's about breakthroughs; producing unprecedented results in organisations. In this sense, introducing coaching competencies into an organisation is a powerful strategy for modifying or creating a culture which is more adaptable to change and growth.

Teaching managers how to coach their staff is the number one obstacle to individual and organisational growth, according to a survey of leaders cited in Management Today. There is a strong business case for coaching.

ABT delivered a two-day workshop that focused on coaching, tailored to meet the needs of PaperPlus' managers. Each manager filled out a self-analysis of their management style. This gave them the self-awareness of how they manage, which they could then use as a platform for change.

The course illustrated the business case for coaching and showed PaperPlus' managers how to coach. Participants were given the opportunity to practice their coaching skills, ensuring they took practical knowledge back to the office. By the end of the two days, each manager developed his or her own action plan to implement after the workshop.

Results

Participants rated the overall value of the workshop, on average, as ten out of ten. The managers became aware of how others perceived their style and consciously approached management with a new perspective. When asked later how the program had affected their management style, they commented that they were better able to deal with people and understand the role emotions play in the business environment. They saw themselves as better listeners, with increased ability to understand people.

This, in turn, led to increased commitment from staff. The managers said they were better able to motivate and develop their employees. Many also commented that they could adapt their management style to different situations.

Here's a sample of their comments:

"I now have more awareness of how I can deal with people."
"It has reinforced the importance of emotional intelligence and leadership and the power of using questions to get people's commitment and buy in."
"It's the best course I've been on yet."
"The coaching concept was basically made very practical and simple to use."
"I've been able to flex my management style to different situations."
"I'm better at dealing with my own emotions."
"I'm more concise and precise in my communication with my people."
"It's been a bloody miracle. I've used the coaching style in a performance review. It worked so well and was easy to use."
"I have a better idea of what they [staff] want from their jobs and what motivates them. They will be more satisfied, engaged and more likely to stay in their job."
"I'm now better able to motivate my staff, get more buy in and commitment."
"I'm more aware of the key leadership styles and emotional intelligence. This is helping me to be more aware and conscious of other people's emotions."
"I'm now able to get employees more enthusiastic, interested and engaged."

The Evidence

The graphs below show participants' perceptions of their skills before and after the training. They illustrate a significant improvement in the team members' ability to coach as a result of the workshops.

skills comparison 1

skills comparison 2

The following graph illustrates the participants' perceptions of ABT's training. It shows that team members gave full marks for the overall value of the program and fully recommend it to others.

course rating